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CARDI greenhouse trials with Sargassum-derived organic fertilizer - photo - Milton Haughton - CRFM

Greenhouse trial with liquid organic fertilizer derived from Sargassum (Photo: M. Haughton, CRFM)

Belize City, Thursday, 7 December 2023 (CRFM)—Groundbreaking work has begun in the Caribbean to produce Sargassum-derived liquid fertilizers or plant growth promoters, as well as an organic compost from processed Sargassum, for eventual incorporation into farmer and grower practices in the Caribbean. The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), an inter-governmental organization of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and Plant & Food Research, a New Zealand Crown Research Institute, are leading this initiative, under the Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Project, a multiyear project funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

This builds on work undertaken by the CRFM since 2015, to address the persistent problem of recurring Sargassum inundations which have been plaguing the region for the past 12 years. Sargassum blooms continue to adversely affect the coastal ecosystems and economic sectors—such as fisheries and tourism—in many Caribbean countries, and clean-up efforts have been costly. Although Sargassum levels have fluctuated from year to year, the general forecast is for continued high levels of blooms and beaching of Sargassum in the foreseeable future. Climate change and nutrient enrichment of the oceans have been identified as major contributing factors to this phenomenon which has been affecting our region since 2011.

Saint Lucia - Sargassum on fishing beach - photo - Milton Haughton - CRFM

Sargassum inundation across a fishing beach on the island of Saint Lucia (Photo: M. Haughton, CRFM)

 

“Sargassum is a natural marine living resource that has been abundant in our coastal waters. It is often an unpleasant sight on our otherwise picturesque beaches, and rotting Sargassum heaps are hazardous to humans and marine life and environmental health. We must, therefore, find ways to use the Sargassum while neutralizing any potential negative effects of the heavy metals contained therein. The safe and profitable conversion of Sargassum biomass into innovative products to adapt to climate change and bolster economic resilience will also generate tangible economic and social benefits for local communities and present and future generations across the entire Caribbean,” said Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the CRFM.

The first phase of the project, which focused on testing the Sargassum to better understand how to handle and use it safely, was completed in 2022. This second phase, which commenced early 2023, focuses on product and process development. In May 2023, the CRFM concluded agreements with the University of the West Indies (UWI), Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Cave Hill Campus, and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), which are providing technical support for joint research and surveys to advance the second phase of the project. During this phase, the project will develop and evaluate liquid fertilizers and compost from Sargassum. The hope is that this initiative will help to protect the marine environment and coastal communities, and create jobs and value-added products, while contributing towards the reduction of the region’s high import bill for fertilizers used by farmers.

There are two very important guiding principles of this project. The first is the application of the precautionary principle which ensures that when there is uncertainty and a risk of harm, we should act with care and caution, guided by the best available scientific information. The second principle encompasses the circular economy approach, which ensures total utilization of the Sargassum to eliminate waste and pollution, which is good for people, business, and the environment. The Sargassum harvested from the sea will, therefore, be used to produce fertilizer, and the residue will be utilized to generate other products such as compost and building materials—all of which will be safe and effective for their intended purposes.

UWI has assisted with the process of producing liquid fertilizers from the Sargassum. CARDI has been conducting a survey of farmers to engender a deeper understanding of how they use fertilizers and their interest in a fertilizer product from Sargassum. This knowledge will enhance strategies to promote the uptake of the Sargassum-derived products for use in the agriculture sector.

CARDI is now completing a study to evaluate the performance of the liquid fertilizers developed with the assistance of UWI on crops under greenhouse conditions. Further studies will be conducted in the field with the assistance of farmers.

Since the commencement of the Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience Project in 2020, the CRFM and Plant & Food Research of New Zealand have worked with partners in Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic, and with specialized laboratories in the United States and New Zealand, to conduct Sargassum raw material safety testing and to review potential products that could be made from the Sargassum.

The final phase of the project, which is due to commence in 2024, will focus on the establishment of a pilot plant to produce liquid organic fertilizer, as well as on outreach and supply chain development, which would entail the dissemination of a workable model to industry stakeholders in the Caribbean. Through continued stakeholder engagement, the project will also gather feedback to guide future work, strengthen relationships with Caribbean enterprises, and develop sustainable pathways for the commercialisation of new Sargassum products.

– ENDS –


RESOURCES:

 

In case you missed it, here is the recording of our recent seminar on Sargassum Value Chain Development.

 

Published in Press release

The CRFM is seeking a suitably qualified Belizean to serve as PROJECT ASSISTANT for the Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience Project.

The Project Assistant will play a strong supporting role to the Executive Director in the planning, management, implementation, scheduling, monitoring, coordinating activities and reporting on the project. While he/she will constantly seek advice and direction from the Executive Director and Programme Manager, Fisheries Management and Development, he/she must have the knowledge, skills and maturity to work independently to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Help to coordinate involvement of project team members, partner organizations, Member States and other service providers to achieve project objectives;

• Monitor and ensure effective collaboration, consultation and exchange of information and good communication among project partners, stakeholders and collaborators;

• Prepare and manage progress reports, schedules, and financial reports and budgets;

• Help with preparation of contracts and monitors progress of consultants and stakeholders involved in project implementation;

• Carry out administrative duties by collecting data, sorting, filing and sending out project information to project partners, stakeholders in the countries and collaborators.

The vacancy will remain open until filled.

 


 

View full details here.

 


 

Published in Press release

 

Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Milton Haughton, was the keynote speaker on Thursday, June 29, at the awards ceremony for outstanding fishers in Belize.

 

The event was organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society along with the CRFM and other NGO partners and the Belize Fisheries Department, as the climax to a month-long observance in celebration of fisherfolk in Belize.

 

The outstanding fishers were LeoBihildo Tamai – Fisher of the Year for 2017, a career fisher of 30 years who lives in Sarteneja Village in Corozal, northern Belize; Dale Fairweather – a deep sea and lobster fisher of southern Belize; and Eleodoro Martinez, Jr., a fisher of Chunux, also located in Corozal.

 

l-tamai

 

“Fisherfolk and fisheries have always been a very important part of Caribbean culture, social life and economies,” Haughton said.

 

He added that not only do the fisheries produce provide very important sources of food and nutrition; but the sector is also an important source of foreign exchange earnings, employment and livelihood opportunities, particularly for the poor and vulnerable members of society.

 

“But the livelihoods of fishers, the safety of their communities in the coastal areas, and continued enjoyment of the benefits from the seas and oceans are threatened by climate change, sea level rise, and ocean acidification, among many other challenges,” the CRFM Executive Director said.

 

For this reason, he added, the theme selected by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation for fisherfolk day 2017 is “Fisheries: contributing to food security in a changing climate.”

 

“The future we want in the Caribbean is one where fisheries are sustainable, resilient and productive, and are used in a way that promotes economic growth, food security and health, and the prosperity of our people now and in the future,” he asserted, adding that in order to realize the envisioned future, more importance needs to be given to evidence-based decision-making, in order to improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change. This would, in turn, help the region develop adaptation strategies to protect our communities and natural resources.

 

He warned, though, that, “Lack of appropriate action on climate change today will certainly undermine the achievement of this vision and make the world our children inherit a much more unproductive, insecure and difficult place than we are living in today.”

  

 

The region is also grappling with emerging challenges which confront the sector, including the more recent phenomenon of massive quantities of sargassum seaweed in the coastal water.

 

Haughton said that the sargassum seaweed is returning, and reports are that it is already affecting the Eastern Caribbean.

Published in CRFM News
Friday, 06 December 2013 20:09

Belize Conch Reports

 

Date

 

Author

 

Title

2013       Final Queen conch technical Document for NOAA Fisheries Dec 2013
 2013        
 2013        
 2013        

Published in Belize Conch Reports
Monday, 18 March 2013 22:08

Belize

Quick Facts:

  • % Contribution to GDP: 7.2 (2001)
  • Fishing Area: EEZ (169840 km2); Shelf (9800 km2)
  • Fishermen: 3000-4000 (about 60% belong to fishermen's cooperatives)
  • Landing sites: 11
  • Fish Imports: 75 MT/0.096 US $ M (2001)
  • Fish Exports: 518 MT/9.0 US$ M (2001)
  • Fish vendors/hawkers: 50
  • Fish processors: 2 (Northern and National Fishermen's Cooperatives)
  • Importers: 3 or 4 (Est.)
  • Exporters: 10

Notes:

  1. The shelf area is a complex system consisting of the largest barrier reef in the Atlantic (220 m in length), three offshore atolls- (Lighthouse Reef which contains the Blue Hole, the Turneffe Islands and Glovers Reef), patch reefs, seagrass beds, several hundred cayes of sand and mangrove, extensive mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries. Total area fished is estimated to be about 4700 km2 within a depth range of 1.5-10 m2.
  2. Note: The composition of the fishing fleet refers to active commercial fishing vessels, as opposed to subsistence fishing. Open boats are made of either wood or fibreglass, 4.3-7.6 m in length, propelled by outboard engines primarily for lobster trapping. Sloops are mostly wooden vessels up to 10 m in length, equipped with sails and smaller auxiliary outboard engines primarily for free diving for lobster, conch and occasionally finfish. Large dug-out canoes are used in southern regions, and are equipped with small engines and oars, primarily for fishing finfish using handlines or nets. Foreign shrimp trawlers of the standard Mexican Gulf type operate as joint ventures with fishing cooperatives.
  3. Major landing sites (from North to South) are located at Corozal Town, Belize City, San Pedro on Ambergris Cay, Caye Caulker, Danriga, Placencia and Punta Gorda.
  4. Shrimp mariculture accounted for approximately US$6.0 M and 2,000 MT in 1995 which was more than the total landed value of all fisheries combined.  

Spiny Lobster Fishery Country Profile

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